Heels improving, visit No. 8 Miami

By Halifax Media Group

Published: Friday, February 8, 2013 at 11:43 PM.

With what transpired four weeks ago available as a reference point, James Michael McAdoo isn’t certain whether North Carolina arrives at today’s return meeting against Miami as a more evolved, better-equipped basketball team.

But the forward can confirm that he sees the Tar Heels showing signs of realizing their potential.

“I feel like our highs are getting higher and our lows aren’t coming as often, which is good,” McAdoo said. “So I feel like if we keep playing, we’ll be all right and we’ll see just how good we can be. It’s exciting, just to see what we can be and see where we can go as a team.”

Going on the road and defeating Miami, the only remaining unbeaten in Atlantic Coast Conference play, would qualify as North Carolina’s most significant accomplishment this season — and send those highs climbing even higher.

The Hurricanes have generated a 10-game winning streak, equaled their highest national ranking in school history and become the first team not named Duke or North Carolina to navigate an undefeated start this deep into the league schedule since Virginia (and Ralph Sampson) in 1981.

Miami has compiled a 10-0 record at home this season and hasn’t lost in the BankUnited Center since Feb. 15 of last year. North Carolina delivered that defeat to the Hurricanes.

“It’s a big-time challenge for us to go down there and get a win,” Tar Heels swingman Reggie Bullock said.

With what transpired four weeks ago available as a reference point, James Michael McAdoo isn’t certain whether North Carolina arrives at today’s return meeting against Miami as a more evolved, better-equipped basketball team.

But the forward can confirm that he sees the Tar Heels showing signs of realizing their potential.

“I feel like our highs are getting higher and our lows aren’t coming as often, which is good,” McAdoo said. “So I feel like if we keep playing, we’ll be all right and we’ll see just how good we can be. It’s exciting, just to see what we can be and see where we can go as a team.”

Going on the road and defeating Miami, the only remaining unbeaten in Atlantic Coast Conference play, would qualify as North Carolina’s most significant accomplishment this season — and send those highs climbing even higher.

The Hurricanes have generated a 10-game winning streak, equaled their highest national ranking in school history and become the first team not named Duke or North Carolina to navigate an undefeated start this deep into the league schedule since Virginia (and Ralph Sampson) in 1981.

Miami has compiled a 10-0 record at home this season and hasn’t lost in the BankUnited Center since Feb. 15 of last year. North Carolina delivered that defeat to the Hurricanes.

“It’s a big-time challenge for us to go down there and get a win,” Tar Heels swingman Reggie Bullock said.

North Carolina has won six of its last seven games since losing to Miami on Jan. 10, a result that left Chapel Hill angst-ridden and the Tar Heels struggling to digest their stumbling 0-2 start in the ACC.

Fast-forwarding to today, North Carolina is coming off an 87-62 rout of Wake Forest, McAdoo is producing more, averaging 17.5 points and 9.3 rebounds in the last six games, and P.J. Hairston has heated up to supply 59 points in his last 58 minutes of playing time.

That has Bullock thinking the Tar Heels might be “right around the corner” from discovering their peak ability.

“We have it going well, but it’s still not the best we can play,” Bullock said, “because when we put a whole game together, I feel like we’re definitely a Top 25 team in the country.

“It’s good to be 6-3 in the conference right now. But we still have a lot more work that can be done to make our team even more successful.”

Tip-off

Who: North Carolina (16-6, 6-3) at No. 8 Miami (18-3, 9-0)

When: 2 p.m. Saturday (ESPN)

Where: BankUnited Center, Coral Gables, Fla.

Series: North Carolina leads 18-3 and is 5-0 at the BankUnited Center. Miami won 68-59 in the season’s first meeting.

Tip-in: North Carolina will wear Nike Hyper Elite alternate away uniforms today with an “NC” logo centered on the chest of its jerseys.